The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has revived its plan of building a 1.2-km coastal road connecting NCPA to Cuffe Parade in south Mumbai.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has revived its plan of building a 1.2-km coastal road connecting NCPA to Cuffe Parade in south Mumbai.

“We are committed to building this road and we have started preparations. We are also seeking coastal regulation zone clearance from the Centre for this project,” Metropolitan Commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad said.

Presently, motorists who want to go to Colaba have to take a left turn at the end of Marine Drive and drive towards Mantralaya and then take a right to reach Cuffe Parade.

This also adds to traffic in the central business district.

Under the proposal, the road will be created from behind NCPA and will go past Free Press Building, Manora MLA Hostel and connect at Jaggannath Bhosale Marg in front of Badhwar Park.

The development authority officials claim that the road will ensure swifter traffic dispersal and take the load off the Mantralaya stretch of road through which the present traffic passes.

The construction of this new road had been cleared in September 2008 by the then Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh.

A timeline of two years had been set for completion of the project.

However, the project was kept on the back-burner as the state government was also planning the Rs 3,500 crore Nariman Point Redevelopment Project undertaken by MMRDA, which entails redeveloping nearly 180 hectares of Nariman Point land.

Now, with the Nariman Point redevelopment not moving forward, the MMRDA has decided to start work on the coastal road instead. A part of this road will be built on the sea through reclamation by laying tetrapods.

The development agency has already deputed the Central Water and Power Research Station to make a design of the road.